WELCOME TO SATURDAY BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT, WHERE WE FEATURE A DIFFERENT BUSINESS EVERY SATURDAY!

This week we are featuring Morgan Weber of Lucky Pup Adventures

How long have you been in business?

Since 2013

What is your business all about?

We provide peace of mind through professional pet care. We have three main areas of focus: pet sitting for when folks travel, dog walking and midday breaks for when they are working, and training to help make their lives more enjoyable with their pet.

What makes your business unique?

We provide professional, dedicated, and high-quality in-their-home pet care to families across the Sioux Empire. Our main focus is to care for the whole pet, which means we not only care for their physical needs, but we also really focus on providing enrichment to the pets in our care. This can take various forms with different types of pets, but the core component is that we tap into their natural instincts to help them have a more fulfilled day. For cats, playtime might include time for the cat to stalk a toy, "hunting" for food, or providing novel experiences for them to explore. For dogs we might go for a neighborhood walk, or do training to improve impulse control and family manners, participate in playtime activities that get their brain working, or we do a combination of physical and mental exercise. This whole-body approach to pet care really enhances a pet's day and gives them some excitement. It works well in all dogs, but it works particularly well in those high-energy dogs that are bouncing off the walls when their people come home. Our enrichment approach to midday visits helps calm those dogs by giving them an outlet for all their energy, which in turn makes everyone's lives more enjoyable

What made you start your business?

It started off as a way to live out our love for pets of all kinds and as a way to serve families while they were traveling. We knew what it was like to be traveling and always being preoccupied with what was going on at home, and we wanted out families to have peace of mind knowing all is well at home. As our knowledge and experience base grew, we expanded to add in dog walking and midday visits, as well as dog training.

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful business owner?

To be a pet care professional, you need to have flexibility, patience, personable, and have a heart to serve others. Like anyone who provides such a personal service, we really get to know our clients and are with them through a lot of life changes. We get to know both the pets and their people and look forward to being there when they need us most.

What three pieces of advice would you give to someone who wants to launch their own business?

Get to know people, ask more questions than you answer, and be ready to go wherever the adventure leads you!

Who has been your greatest inspiration? Or what book has inspired you the most? Or what is your favorite book?

My greatest inspirations have been my own dogs. We have three dogs currently, lost one senior dog a few years ago, and have fostered around 11 others in the last three years. I am constantly learning from the dogs in my life. The key has only been to open my ears when they have something to say.

How do you conquer those moments of doubt that so often stifle or trip up or stop so many?

I try to make progress, not perfection. There is a book called Finish by Jon Acuff and The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. I try implement their teachings in my life and to keep making progress, even when quitting feels tempting.

Final note –I started off my career in the architecture field. I went to architecture school and practiced for 6 years before my pet sitting business became my full time focus. Some of the most impactful things I studied was community and place, and how we could create those things through design. Along with that, architecture school taught me how to become a creative problem solver, often looking outside the box to see the problem we didn't originally anticipate needing to be solved. I use both of these in my everyday work as a pet care expert.

Thank you, Morgan, for letting us share a bit about you!

If you’d like to reach out to Morgan, here is Morgan’s Contact Information.Lucky Pup Adventures - We serve the Sioux Falls, Brandon, Tea, and Harrisburg areas